How Do I Know If I Have Anger Issues?

If you’re someone who experiences normal, healthy anger, you’ll notice yourself feeling some anxiety or irritability now and then, but these feelings won’t affect your behavior. Most of the time, you keep your anger inside of you – although it can sometimes be hard to relax when you get really agitated. You want to yell at the guy who just cut in line in front of you, but you don’t act on that impulse. But sometimes, not often, you do get a little short with others.

If you’re a guy who’s showing some signs of problems with anger, you’ll find yourself frequently getting mad at yourself, your co-workers or the world in general. Your behavior isn’t out of control, but others can definitely tell that you’re irritable or grouchy. Sometimes, you surprise yourself by how angry you can get, and you’ve been told that you can easily fly off the handle. You’ve thought at times about getting revenge or hurting someone who’s wronged you. At other times, you find yourself trying to avoid the situation or person who’s bothering you.

If you’ve got serious problems with anger, you’re frequently struggling to keep from losing your temper. People have told you that you’re intimidating, and that you sometimes use threatening body language – like thrusting a pointed finger or clutched fist at others. You can get so pissed off, that you start thinking about exactly how you’re going to retaliate; you want to hurt the person or people you experience as a threat. You find yourself being ruled by your anger – sometimes even irrationally – and can be blinded by your rage. You often act on your anger, by screaming at or threatening others, and people have told you they’re afraid of you.

Many men at risk because of their anger don’t necessarily show it or seem hostile. They may just be chronically irritable and grumpy. For these men, anger typically simmers in cynical and hostile thoughts that are kept to themselves. The negative health effects of anger on these men are the same as they are for overtly hostile and angry men.